Carroll Cavanagh

1943 - 2018

Carroll John Cavanagh, Jr.
Carroll John Cavanagh, Jr., 74, Resident of East Norwalk, Connecticut formerly of New York City, New York died peacefully at home on July 18th, 2018. Mr. Cavanagh, beloved father and grandfather, is survived by his wife Candida N Smith and his four children. Family includes children from his first marriage to Valerie (Mrs. Guy O III) Dove, daughter Dorothy (Mrs. John S. Jr) Stout, and son Carroll J Cavanagh III, and sons with Candida N. Smith, Hudson N. Cavanagh and Gabriel H. Cavanagh . He had three grandchildren, John Cavanagh Stout, Scarlet Mixter Stout and William Carroll Cavanagh. Carroll is survived also by his mother, Mona Cavanagh, and his three siblings, Monica Cavanagh, Deirdre Cavanagh, and Christopher Cavanagh.
He was born in Brooklyn Heights, New York in 1943, son of Carroll John Cavanagh and Mona (Schmid) Cavanagh. He was educated at Portsmouth Abbey School and graduated from Yale University with the class of 1964. He received his JD, Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania 1970. While in law school Mr. Cavanagh received a Fellowship to the Academy of International Law in The Hague, the Netherlands. Mr Cavanagh was a lieutenant in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve 1964-1970. After his service he attended Trinity College and University College Dublin, Ireland while restoring Georgian houses there. He began his career at Sullivan and Cromwell in New York City. In 1980, he moved to Washington, DC and was elected Secretary and General Counsel to the National Gallery of Art. Carroll later served as personal counsel to Paul Mellon. He served on boards of numerous organizations including Friends of American Arts at Yale, Trustees Council at National Gallery of Art, Mellon Bank, Andrew F. Mellon Foundation, Irish Georgian Society, and the Belvedere Foundation. He was a member of The Union Club in New York, The Metropolitan Club in Washington DC and a lifetime member of Saugatuck Shores Club in Westport, CT.
His quick wit, smile and infectious laugh lit up a room and he is greatly missed. A special thank you to his cherished aides. Please consider a donation to The Carver Foundation of Norwalk, 7 Academy Street Norwalk, CT 06850.